Mistakes involving inappropriate sending of messages, electronic and otherwise, are common. Typical forms of communication with which such situations arise can include email, instant messaging (IM), virtual worlds and/or online communities. Each such form of communication can present unique challenges in this regard.
For instance, email messages include a message header, which can contain information such as sender and recipient(s) email address(es), as well as a subject line header or title. Email messages also include a message body, which generally contains the sender-generated content of the message. The message body can additionally contain a signature, which contains text included (often automatically) to an e-mail message (often at the end of the message). A signature can include a sender's name as well as additional contact information pertaining to the sender. In some instances, a signature can also include user-chosen or user-generated content (text and/or images, generally limited to a brief amount).
Additionally, instant messaging (IM) enables real-time text- or image-based communication over a network (commonly the Internet) between two or more people using capable devices such as smart phones, personal computers, tablets, etc. Similarly, virtual worlds and various online communities provide for similar messaging capabilities to allow users to interact with each other in real-time.
Accordingly, opportunities can present themselves wherein a user of one of these example forms of electronic communication may transmit a message that the user, recipient or third-party might deem inappropriate. For example, a user of an email system may send an inappropriate or undesired email when he or she is angry. A user may also attach an inappropriate signature to an email while under a similar emotional state. As such, a need exists to provide means by which the likelihood of a user transmitting such communications is reduced.